Former Emory professor sentenced for downloading child porn on campus

ATLANTA -- A former Emory professor will spend the next 6 years in prison for downloading thousands of child porn images, a judge announced on Wednesday.

Kevin M. Sullivan was sentenced to 6 years and 6 months for downloading the images from a server in Switzerland. Sullivan, who was a professor in Emory University's epidemiology department, used the university's wireless network to access sites outside the U.S. which allowed him to receive the illegal material.

“Sullivan downloaded thousands of files depicting the sexual abuse of children,” said U.S. Attorney John Horn. “He attempted to cover his tracks by using his personal computer on the Internet system at Emory to download the images. As predators continue to try to develop new methods to feed and download child pornography, we will continue to find them and prosecute them.”

According to Horn and other information presented in court, Swiss law enforcement seized a server that was hosting child porn in 2014. Login information then showed that someone at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health was using a wireless connection to access the material.

The school's information technology department helped investigators discover and identify the culprit - Sullivan. Agents obtained a search warrant and executed it on June 15, 2015. Sullivan was present at the time but left before agents found more than 8,000 child porn on his personal laptop and external drive.

As they arrived at his home, agents found Sullivan on his computer. They found titles suggestive of child porn but said that the files themselves had been deleted.

In addition to his prison sentence, Sullivan faces 7 years of supervised release and was ordered to pay a $15,000 fine. Sullivan pleaded guilty to the charges against him on Dec. 1, 2016.

“This conviction illustrates the outstanding work of law enforcement around the world to investigate and prosecute child pornography cases,” said Director Vernon Keenan of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. “The GBI will continue to dedicate resources to identify and bring to justice individuals who exploit children.”